New Beginnings
by LeighKelly
Summary: While so many things begin to fall into place in their lives, Brittany and Santana celebrate Easter with nearly four-year old Annie and their family. One-Shot, Santana's POV, set just before Beautiful Life.


**Author's Note: Hey there, everyone! A big old hippity hoppity happity Easter (my lameness will make way more sense after you read the story) to all of you! I've had parts of this Easter floating about in my head for a pretty long time now, and I've finally decided to get it all out there. A decent amount probably won't make much sense if you haven't read any of the Annie-verse, but, feel free to read away! This takes place in April 2019, about four months before the beginning of _Beautiful Life_.**

* * *

When spring sprung in New York each and every year, I watched my wife neatly burst at the seams with excitement. But this year, with our almost four year old daughter Annie old enough to understand about the coming warm weather, about parks and zoo trips, instead of long days stuck inside the apartment, and itchy hats and sweaters, coupled with the fact that we'd recently bought our very first house together, and though it was undergoing massive renovations (the only way we could even _dream _of affording our little row house in the Village), the three of us had gone over and put flower boxes in the windows, everything was amplified. By the time we'd packed the car on Thursday morning, hoping to get a least a _small _head start on our trip back to Ohio, both of my girls were nearly buzzing, and their excitement was infectious, making me grin wide as I buckled Annie into her carseat and Brittany triple checked the trunk to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything of importance.

With the exception of a three hour nap in the middle of the drive to Lima, Annie chattered away the whole time, talking about _running 'round_ outside my parents house, expressing her concern about why the Easter Bunny was allowed to sneak into the house ("we invited him, sweetheart," Brittany had reassured her, "but if it would make you happy, I'm sure we found ask him to leave his things on the porch"), about whether or not her _'Buela _would make her _arroz con pollo _or her Grammy would make chocolate cake, about anything that popped into her little head. Brittany and I smiled and laughed, exchanging adoring glances over the particularly sweet things she often said, and mostly, we encouraged her to talk. Although our little girl was _extremely _vocal with us, she was still learning, with many visits and FaceTime conversations with our parents and Brittany's sister, just how wide she could open her circle of trust. With the addition of Liz's new boyfriend for Easter dinner (much to the ire of Brittany and I, though not because of Annie, but just because neither of us could stomach him) we knew it would be a bit of an adjustment for her, and more than anything else, we wanted her to talk things out to prepare herself.

Like every year of my life, Good Friday and Holy Saturday were rife with religious traditions, traditions my mother so respectfully asked if we minded her including Annie in, since we weren't raising her with a specific religion, particularly not Catholicism. But I appreciated the traditions for their cultural value, something that Brittany and I both believed were imperative to our daughter's upbringing. So, excepting the Stations of the Cross, which we'd determined were too gruesome for our incredibly inquisitive daughter, we partook in the Easter rituals I grew up with. We turned off our electronics between twelve and three on Friday, we had fish dinner with the Pierces, and Annie helped to carry the food for Sunday's meal into the church to be blessed on Saturday afternoon. She was fairly quiet through most of it, but she did sidle up to my mother quite a bit more than usual and agreed to play outside with Stephen and Liz (with the promise that Brittany would watch from the window and come out too, if she wanted) and those were leaps and bounds for our special little girl.

On the way home from church on Saturday afternoon, Annie was already entirely exhausted from the trip, and passed out in the car. When we got back to the house, I brought her up to our bed, tucking her and Milky Way beneath the covers before going to meet Brittany in the second spare bedroom to sort through all of the things we'd brought for her Easter basket. It didn't take us long to put it together and to tuck a few extra trinkets into plastic eggs for her to hunt, and when we were finished, we headed back downstairs to the living room, where my parents were involved in their typical late Saturday afternoon game of Scrabble. Brittany and I settled across from them on the love seat, my head resting on her shoulder and her fingers playing with mine comfortably as we watched my parents in their content routine, after over thirty years of marriage, a definite aspiration I had for my wife and I.

"_Mija, _did you get the final estimate on the kitchen yet?" My father asked, looking up from the board in front of him. It was a gift from my parents and Brittany's, a far more elaborate kitchen than we'd buy ourselves (and a gift we'd tried to argue, because they'd given us a substantial chunk of month for the down payment, claiming it was what they'd saved for our weddings that we'd never used), and we'd had three contractors come in, both Brittany and I balking at the price.

"_Si, _Papí. We brought all the paperwork and plans with us to look at maybe after dinner with you and Britt's parents tomorrow night. We're hoping to get it started next month."

"Then we can hopefully move in by the beginning of August." Brittany clapped her hands together a little. "It'll be so nice if we could be settled in there before Annie starts school."

"Have you started talking to her about it yet?" Mamí asked, sipping from her wineglass.

"In the abstract." I pressed my lips together. "We're sort of having a tough time with it too. So many changes, you know? I'm done with my courses, I'm getting a real start on my organization, we're moving, then she'll start school, and...whatever happens in the future after that." I cut myself off at the end, before I went and revealed the thing Brittany and I hadn't really talked about in awhile, the thing we were waiting until the time was right to even _consider _again, and the thing our families of so respectfully refrained from mentioning.

"But, she's doing well, so, we're going to take her over there to see it soon. It's great, Mari. It's across from my job, it's old a few blocks from the house. We're comfortable with it."

"Good. That's a good thing." Papí smiled. "She's a very bright little one. You two have done wonders with all you've taught her at home. Once she adjusts, she'll thrive in a school environment, I think. I've never met a three year old who can define colors like goldenrod and scarlet."

"_Three and three quarters._" Brittany corrected as Annie would, though with a laugh, rather than a stern little face. "She's really into her crayons, she's got them all lined up by shade in their case, and forget it if one breaks..."

"That's why we keep backup boxes in our closet, so she can switch out the broken and worn down ones"

"Well that's a habit she didn't get from you, _mi amor." _My mother chuckled. "Yours were shoved in a shoebox in a state of disaster."

"Not all of us can be obsessive about our organization." I tilted my head up and pecked Brittany's lips, knowing full well where that habit of Annie's had come from.

"Well we know that." Brittany laughed. "Packing to move is going to be _so _interesting."

"Hey, we're moving to a _bigger _space. Much better than continuing to shove all the crap into the two tiny closets in our apartment."

"That _is _true." Brittany conceded, rolling her eyes a little. "Anyway, back to what we were talking about before we got sidetracked. We're pretty psyched about the kitchen, it'll be nice to have Annie in there with us when we're cooking and not have to worry about her getting scalded by anything. This house is just, something I think we never imagined was possible, so thank you both, so much."

"You both work so hard." My father nodded. "We're glad to be able to offer the help, it's not like the money won't all be yours someday anyway."

"Papí! Too morbid! I don't want to talk about you dying _ever, _okay."

"_Lo siento, _Santanita. Mari, your move."

"Hold on, Javier, I need to go check the chicken in the pot."

"I'll go check it." Brittany offered, proud of how my mother had been passing on her recipes to her. "I want to turn on the eggs anyway, Annie is going to be beside herself when she gets to actually dye them tonight. Want to come with me, San?"

"Of course." I stood up, offering her my hand. "Maybe _you _can teach me the secret recipe."

"I don't know, honey." Britt winked at my mom. "Your mother entrusted me with the family secret."

"You decide you want me to teach you how I cook it, your get let in on it, _mija. _I've been telling you that since you're seventeen."

Clicking my tongue, I shimmied off into the kitchen with Brittany following close behind. I watched her as she poked at the chicken boiling in the pot, lips pursed seriously, and let my eyes follow her as she filled another and settled the eggs inside, combing up behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist. With my chin on her shoulder, I kissed the inside of her neck, and she hummed contentedly while turning up the burner.

"This is more content than I've ever seen you on a trip back here." She murmured, turning in my arms so we were face to face and brushing my nose with her.

"I _feel _content, Britt. It was such a rough bunch of years, and now, I just feel settled. I'm in a good place personally, we're in a really great place with each other, and Annie has come so far. I'm just really happy, and because of that, coming back here doesn't make me feel anxious inside anymore."

"Good. I'm really glad for that, Santana. You've worked your ass off to get where you are, and I feel the same way about this good place we're in." She smiled softly, her eyes shining, and I couldn't help but bring my hand up to her cheek, drawing her to me and kissing her with an intensity that I hadn't been able to in the past few days with our families around. "I love you a lot."

"I love you a lot too, baby." I brought our lips together again and threaded my fingers through her hair. "My beautiful lady."

"Buttering me up isn't going to trick me into telling you the secrets." Britt smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Just learn from your mom."

"It's okay. I like teasing you about it, but I'm actually perfectly fine with not knowing. I love that it'll stay in our family through you and our kids." I took a deep breath, realizing what I said, and it hung in the air for just a moment.

"Annie will definitely be more than thrilled to learn." She nodded, knowing it had been a slip of my tongue and not quite the time for that conversation yet. "You know, we fought them so hard about that kitchen, but I'm really, really looking forward to being able to actually talk to you while one of us is cooking dinner without packing in like sardines. And I_ did _love as a kid when Liz and I used to sit up at the counter with my mom. I think it'll be good for our daughter to have that same experience."

"I agree, I do. God, I can't wait to live there. Now that it's _ours, _our apartment feels so small, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does. I mean, I'm not sure _what _I'm going to do when I'm not tripping over you, or Annie, or your shoes or her toys."

"I mean, I'm sure we can help out with that if you're worried about it."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, babe."

Annie slept for another hour that afternoon, and when she woke up, she was cranky until she'd remembered what was for dinner, and pepped up instantly. She and my mom went into the kitchen together, and Brittany took about a thousand pictures when Annie came back out with saffron on her nose and cheeks, our little sunshine looking even sunnier than usual. Susan and Stephen didn't join us that evening, Liz and Christian had arrived, and the oh so _lovely _Mr. Drexel had insisted upon taking his girlfriend's parents out for some over the top dinner, something Britt and I wanted _no _part of. All through dinner, Annie was chattery, sitting at my father's side and asking him about _stef-o-scopes, _and getting _extremely _excited when he told her later on they could get his out of the office later and check that everyone's hearts were working properly. After the dinner dishes were cleared and Mamí and I washed the dishes while Brittany gave Annie a bath, Annie sat up in her seat again at the table and Britt and I took out the six colors of egg dye we'd prepared earlier, plus white crayons and shakers of glitter.

"Mamí." Annie scrunched up her face in confusion, holding a crayon between her two fingers and inspecting it. "We're not s'pposed to use white crayons on white things. How're we gonna see it on all these eggs?"

"That, _mi amor, _is a special kind of magic that I'm gonna let Mama show you."

"Magic? _More _magic on today? Not just the Easter Bunny?"

"Well." Brittany winked. "This _might _be a little of his magic that he's letting us in on. Ready, sweetheart? What we have to do is draw whatever it is that we want to see right on the eggs, but press gently, so we don't break the shell."

"I want to make an A and a flower and a heart."

"Then go right ahead, Bean, I think that sounds great."

While Annie made her drawings, Brittany made some sort of elaborate spiraled designs on her eggs and I stuck to some fairly standard zig zags and _Happy Easter's. _When the full dozen were drawn on and set back in the carton, Brittany grinned, _very _excited about showing her the next step. I graciously accepted an old worn hand towel from my mother at that point, and once I'd tucked it down the front of Annie's Easter Beagle pajama shirt, she got up on her knees on the chair and looked at Brittany with wide eyes.

"Is it time for the magic, Mama?"

"It is, baby girl, _but, _since I'm pretty sure Mamí us the keeper of all the magic for our family, I'm going to really need her help with this one. Are you ready, Santana?"

"I am." I nodded, swallowing thickly at Brittany's belief that _I _held the magic. "Let's do it."

"Alrighty! Annie, we need to put eggs in each of the colors, so you do the picking and I'll help you put them in."

"Okay, well I want my eggs to _all _be green and yellow, and your eggs to be blue and orange and Mamí's eggs to be red and purple. Oh_ no! _Mama! _'Buelo _and _'Buela _didn't even make _any _eggs! We forgot t'share with them at _all!_" Her bottom lip jutted out and she looked over at my parents apologetically. "I'm super sorry _'Buela _and _'Buelo, _and now we're all out of eggs!"

"Hey, hey, Lisita, _est__á__s bien. _We're very happy to watch our favorite girls." Papí promised, setting down his camera. "As long as you let us eat some eggs, I think it's just fine."

"_Eat them?" _She gasped. "But they're _magic! _We're not 'llowed to _eat them, _are we?"

"Actually, we can, _mija, _then we've got a little Easter magic inside of us. And I'm _sure _Grammy will want your help making deviled eggs in the morning."

"Oh. Well. Okay then, _'Buelo, _we're 'llowed to eat the eggs." She told him importantly, and couldn't help his chuckle at the way she spoke as if he hadn't been standing there.

"Good thing, because your Grammy's deviled eggs are definitely one of my favorites."

"'S it time for magic now?" Annie asked, satisfied that no one was left out.

"It is." Brittany promised. "We're going to use the spoons and get the eggs inside the dye and then Mamí will wave her hands over them and say the most magic words."

"Wow! What are they, Mamí?"

"I can't say them just yet, _beb__é__, _then they're not going to work! But you'll hear them as soon as you and Mama are finished."

"Okay! Hurry, Mama!"

Annie was very careful not to spill the dye as she and Brittany worked to get the first six eggs into the cups. When they were finished, she looked at me expectantly and a huge smile broke across my face at her absolute joy over a task like that. Taking her tiny hand in mine, I waved the other over the eggs and though I wasn't usually the one who came up with the silly words, murmured a _hippity hoppity happity abracadabra _(okay, so I _really _wasn't the best at magic words, but Annie enjoyed them, so it was totally fine). We waited for ten minutes, Annie cradling her chin with her hands, staring at the cups, willing the eggs to be finished, but having far more patience that I did at her age. When the timer my mother set went off, Annie jumped up, and I grabbed the glitter shaker while Brittany grabbed the first spoon.

"Okay, Annalise, are you _sure _you're one hundred percent ready for this?" Britt asked.

"I'm very, very _extra _sure! I want to see the magic _right _now!" She squealed, and when Brittany lifted her first egg out of the purple dye, she clapped her hands together with vigor. "Wow! Look! You can see all my drawings now! Mamí you _do _have all the magic!"

"I think, maybe, _coraz__ó__ncita-" _I quickly wiped away the tears that formed in the corner of my eyes and shook some glitter over the egg Brittany held out for me. "That our magic was definitely a group effort."

After finishing the eggs and Annie running around with my father to check everyone's heartbeats, she was right back to the exhausted state that she'd been before her afternoon nap. The five of us settled back into the living room to watch _It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, _and before we even reached the end of the movie, Annie fell asleep in my lap, hands tangled in my loose hair. When I went to carry her up to bed, she stirred just a little and murmured about still not being sure if the Easter Bunny should come in the house, even though his magic was nice, and as I tucked her under the covers of the little bed my parents had bought for their guest room, I promised her that Britt and I would leave a note on the door telling him that. Once she was settled, I went back downstairs and relayed the news to my wife and parents, and while I wrote the note and taped it to the door, they began transforming the porch into a big Easter surprise for the morning.

My dad's enthusiasm for authenticity really surprised me, since it hadn't really been his thing when I was a kid. As he painted bunny prints on the wood, Britt wrapped her arm around my waist and I nuzzled into her a little, truly enjoying just how much our two sets of parents truly worked to make sure Annalise was the happiest little girl in the world. By the time we were done, there were plastic eggs hidden throughout the front yard, a plate with three half eaten carrots, and _two _big Easter baskets under the porch swing (and a third sure to follow the next day, despite out insistence to our parents that they _didn't _need to buy Annie anything). It was a pretty amazing sight, and though Annie was always so hesitant about new things, we were _sure _she'd enjoy what the Easter Bunny had left for her, and Britt and I kissed my parents goodnight before we headed up to bed ourselves, me tucking my head right under Brittany's chin and murmuring how much I loved her before passing out.

The next morning, Annie hesitantly peeked up on the bed to where I lay awake snuggled into a still sleeping Brittany. I smiled at the sight of my little girl and after a failed attempt to avoid waking up Britt, I pulled Annie up to snuggle between us until we smelled coffee wafting from downstairs, the universal signal that my mother was awake and we could get out of bed. With a very reluctant Annie, still concerned that maybe the Easter Bunny came in the house, in my arms, the three of us went to the kitchen, finding my mother with her coffee, reading the paper.

"Hi, _'Buela." _Annie whispered, looking around. "Did'ya check if he came inside?"

"Morning, my _nieta dulce._" Mamí smiled. "I did check, and guess what? No Easter Bunny inside the house at all. I think he was a pretty good listener to the note on the door."

"Okay, 's good 'cuz you're not 'llowed in strangers' houses if they say no!"

"That is true, Annalise. I'm not sure he's quite a stranger, since _Abuelo _and I have known him since your Mamí was younger than you, but, he is a very respectful _conejito, _and I think maybe he left some special treats on the porch for you."

"He did? Really?" Her little eyes went wide and she hopped a little bit up and down. "Are we 'llowed to look?"

"We can take a peek, baby girl, but Grammy and Poppy are coming over very, very soon. I think maybe we should wait for them." Brittany ran her fingers through Annie's tangled hair. "What do you think?"

"What about Auntia Liz, Mama? She's gonna come too, right?"

"She'll be here later, Annie." Brittany promised, a desperate attempt to avoid rolling her eyes being made. We were lucky enough she'd flown home for Easter, we knew, but Christian wasn't our favorite (nor my in-laws favorite, and not because they loved me) and he apparently had a sleep schedule he had to stick to, so they wouldn't be joining us until later in the day. "Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll have lots of time with her this afternoon, okay?"

"Kay, I guess." She shrugged. "Are we having special breakfast 'cuz it's Easter Day?"

"_Mija, _your Grammy and your _Abuela _would never let you go without special breakfast." I finished pouring my coffee and held up the teapot to silently ask Britt if she wanted me to make her some. "I _may _have heard something about waffles."

"Waffles? Really?"

"Hmm, strawberry cinnamon waffles, maybe." My mother smiled and winked at her. "But I'm really going to need some extra help. I'm not sure where I'll find it though."

"I think I can be your extra help, _'Buela, _I know 'bout waffles. I help to make them at home in the waffle machine. They're my _favorite!"_

"Oh they are, are they? Well it's a good thing that's what we're having today then. I'll definitely take your help, Annalisita. How about you come with me to wash up at the sink, and we'll get started so breakfast is ready when Grammy and Poppy get here?"

"'S okay?" She looked back to Britt and I. "I'm gonna help make breakfast."

"It's absolutely okay, Bean." Brittany pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We'll sit right here and watch."

While Annie and my mother worked on breakfast, Annie showing her how she _knew 'bout sprinkling cinnamom, _Brittany and I savored the break, ankles twined under the table while we sipped from our mugs. My father, who I hadn't realized was out of bed, came back in the house, whispering to us that he'd hid the real eggs we'd colored last night, and _maybe _a few more special plastic eggs. In the midst of the cooking, Susan and Stephen burst through the door carrying Pyrex dishes of things for dinner, and fielding Annie's exuberant questions about whether or not they'd seen anything from the Easter Bunny on the porch. Stephen just adjusted his glasses and hummed a little, telling Annie he should probably get them checked, because he wasn't seeing too well, and Susan told her she _may _have seen a little something, but she wasn't entirely sure. Our baby girl was _very _chattery through breakfast, and Britt and I really took it all in, her hand squeezing my thigh to let me know the intensity of the emotion she was feeling. When we were all finished, and after the three of us went upstairs to change into jeans and sweaters, Annie tramped back down the stairs, and she hesitated behind the closed front door.

"He's not still gonna be here, right?" She asked, standing on her tip toes in and effort to peer out the window beside it.

"I'm pretty sure he's gone, I _think _that even Poppy with his old glasses would have seen him if he didn't leave yet. He's much bigger than your ordinary bunny, Annie girl." Brittany promised her. "Do you want us to check first?"

"Yes I do." She nodded solemnly. "If he's still there you can say thank you."

"Of course." Brittany looked back to me, amused, and thinking we were definitely right in avoiding taking her to New Jersey to see him at the mall this year. Santa had been one thing but a giant anthropomorphic rabbit was something entirely different and unfamiliar. "Stay right here with Mamí, I'll check right now."

"Hi, Mamí." Annie crawled up into my arms where I had sat down on the steps, and I hugged her tightly to me, scratching her back.

"Hi, _beb__é_. Are you excited?"

"A little bit, 'specially 'cuz I'm 'llowed to eat candy if he brought me any."

"That's true, you are." I laughed a little. "Pretty great morning, huh?"

"Mmhm, _super _great!"

"Alright guys, the coast is clear." Brittany chirped, peeking her head back through the door. "And it looks like everyone else snuck outside while we weren't looking!"

"Did he come, Mama? Did he bring candy and hide me all the eggs?"

"It think you should come see, baby girl." She extended her hand and Annie jumped off my lap, eager to take it. "C'mon, San, let's check it out."

Annie was entirely amazed when Britt opened the door fully, and she covered her mouth so she could scream into her hands, something we'd had to teach her very young to do, living with not always so nice neighbors who could hear our every move. It was overwhelming for her, but not in a bad way, she just didn't know where to look first, and she hopped around a little bit before crouching down and checking out the bunny prints that zig-zagged all over. When she touched the paint and pulled back her fingertips to find glitter on home, she giggled from deep within her. Taking the seat out parents had saved us on the porch swing, Brittany wrapped her arm around my waist, and I nuzzled into her, just taking in our daughter and her wide eyed wonder.

"C'n you believe it? Look at how _ginormous _his feets are! I don't think he could fit in the house even if he _didn't _see the note!" She measured out the span of the painted feet, stretching from her fingertips to her forearm. "_Wow!"_

"I think he's gotta be pretty big to carry all those baskets and eggs, baby love." Susan beamed, pulling in egg from beneath her on the lounger cushion. "Oh look, I sat on one!"

"Grammy! You gotta open it up now, 'cuz you found it!" Annie directed, and when Susan revealed two Hershey kisses, Annie gasped. "Those are my very most favorite!"

"Well then, my sweet, sweet girl, I think you should go ahead and eat them."

"No, 's okay, you can eat them 'cuz they're yours."

"How about we share?" Susan help out one to Annalise and kept the other for herself, making Annie grin with all her teeth.

"I think that sounds super great! Thank you Grammy!"

"This is good, Britt." I whispered to my wife, kissing the underside of her chin.

"Yeah." She nodded, sniffing back tears. "It really, really is."

It was huge for us, how well she did, how our hesitant little girl sought out three big baskets, two dozen plastic eggs, and the dozen we'd boiled. Even after she'd eaten an entire chocolate bunny in one sitting (the result of leaving her alone with her grandmothers while Brittany and I insisted on running to the store to pick up more horseradish) and she'd thrown up all over the kitchen floor, she'd bounced back pretty quickly after another bath and a change into the lavender Easter dress she'd chosen to wear for dinner. Holidays were hard, we'd learned it well in the previous three years, when the slightest thing could set Annie into a turmoil, but even at not even four years old, she was beginning to recognize her limits, she was beginning to recognize when it was too much, and when she needed to hide away from the rest of the world and burrow into mine or Brittany's arms, snuggling in safety like a little bunny herself. It was a good one, the best of her life, maybe, and later that night, after a (mostly) uneventful dinner (though Annie just wasn't comfortable with Christian, a sentiment Brittany and I could both share with her), when everyone else had gone home, and my parents sat on the porch alone, Annie lay with her face in the crook of my neck, and Brittany and I shared the softest smile, the crinkle of her eyes making my heart leap.

"Between this and the house, seems like this spring really is our season of new beginnings, huh?" She pondered, and I pulled my hand to my lips, kissing the inside of her wrist.

"That it does Britt." I nodded, lifting my spoon from our shared piece of carrot cake and clinking it with hers. "To this new beginning, my wonderful wife, and to many, many more."


End file.
